Emergency-brake.



(N0 Model.)

. Patented Sept. 2, I902. W. W. HOPKINS. I

EMERGENDCY BRAKE (Application filed July 19, 1901.)

NlTED Marne ATFNT union.

WILLIAM W. HOPKINS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILSON P. H. TURNER, OF NORMANDY MISSOURI.

EM ERG ENCY-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent lilo. 708,477, dated September 2, 1902.

Application filed July 18, 1901. Serial No. 68,793. (No model.)

To all whom, itvncty concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. HOPKINS,

of the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Emergency-Brakes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof. This invention relates to emergency-brakes; and it consists of the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter shown, described, and claimed.

One object of this invention is to provide an improved car-brake mechanism consisting of suitable brake-shoes designed to be applied to the wheels in the usual or in any other preferred way and certain other special appliances which are to be brought into use in emergencies or whenever it may be necessary to stop the car more quickly than can be done with the usual brakes.

Another object is to provide means whereby the brake-shoes can be lowered to a point near the rails and to provide a number of plates adapted to be moved with the brake-shoes and which rest upon the rails when the brake shoes are lowered and pass between the wheels and the rails, forming runners which slide along the rails to stop the car.

Figure lis a side elevation of a truck, showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a front View of one sideof the truck. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the operating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a detail View showing the plates interposed between the wheel and the rail.

My invention consists of the usual brakeshoes carried by a rod which is mounted in suitable supports provided with slots in which the rod can move to bring the brake-shoes into different positions. A stop is provided, so that the rod can be held in place to retain the brake-shoes in their normal positions, from which they are only moved in emergencies or whenever it is necessary or desirable to bring the car to a sudden stop. Whenever such an emergency or occasion arises, the said rod is moved in the slot, so that the brake-shoes are lowered to a point near the rails, and the plates which are carried by the brake-shoes lie upon the rails in front of the wheels, so that the wheels will roll upon said plates, thereby making the said plates serve the function of runners, increasing the frictional surface and bringing the 'car to a sudden stop.

In the drawings, 1 denotes the brake-shoes, which may be of usual or any preferred construction and which are supported by the links or hangers 2.

3 denotes suitable castings which are designed to be attached in any preferred manner to the side frames of the truck and which are provided with curved slots 4, formed concentric to the centers of the wheels. At their upper ends the said slots 4 are extended horizontally, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, forming a shoulder 5. There are two of these castings 3 on each truck, one at each side, and the rod 6 extends across the truck and projects through the slots 4: in the said castings. The links or hangers 2 are mounted over the rod 6, and the said rod 6 is prevented from lateral movement by any suitable means, as

by the use of the nuts or washers 7. Ordinarily the rod 6 rests in the upper ends of the slots 4 upon the shoulders 5, upholding the brake-shoes in their normal positions, as shown in Fig. 1.

The usual devices may be made use of for applying the brake-shoes to the Wheels; but these parts have been omitted from the drawings in order to avoid confusion, and any known method may be made use of to apply the brake-shoes.

8 indicates a rock-shaft, which is supported by the castings 3. A bell-crank 9 is rigidly connected to each end of the rock-shaft 8, and the lower ends of the said bell-cranks extend rearwardly in alinement with the shaft 6 when the latter rests upon the shoulders 5. I have shown an enlargement or shoulder 10, rigid with the rod 6, against which the ends of the bell-cranks 9i bear, thereby holding the said rod 6 upon the sho ulders 5 and preventing it from being moved out of position. Itis not necessary, however, that any enlargement, such as 10, be provided, and the ends of the bell-cranks may be allowed to bear directly against the rod. These enlargements, however, may be found of use to assist in holding the rod in position and to serve as guides when it is lowered within the slots to permit the brake-shoes to assume their lower positions, above'referred to. The other arms-of the bell-cranks 9 extend upwardly and support a rod 11, to which is connected a rod 12, the said rod 12 extending forwardly and being connected, as shown, to the bell-crank 13, pivotally supported under the forward end of the car. A pin 14- is shown mounted within an opening in the bottom of the car, and the lower end of the said pin rests upon the bell-crank 13, thereby affording means for operating the bell-crank, which will move the rods 12 and 11, and thereby rock the shaft 8 and raise the lower arms of the bell-cranks 9 above the shaft 6, permitting the latter to be moved from the shoulders 5 to be lowered within the slots 4.

Other forms of operating devices may be made use of, and I have only shown one form of connections by which the mechanism may be operated.

It is necessary to positively move the rod 6 from the shoulders 5 in order to lower the brake-shoes to the required position, and to accomplish this I provide pawls 15, one of which is connected to each end of the rod 11. The said paWls 15 extend rearwardly, and their ends rest upon the rod 6 in such position that said pawls will move a certain distance before their hooked ends engage against the said rod 6, the purpose of which is to permit the lower arms of the bell-cranks 9 to be raised above the rod 6 before the hooks of the pawls 15 come into contact therewith. Whenever the rod 11 is moved, as above described, the shaft 8 will be rocked, raising the lower arms of the bell-cranks above the rod 6, and just at the time the said bell-cranks pass above the said rod the hooks on the ends of the said pawls 15 engage with the rod and draw, the latter forwardly into the curved portions of the slots 4.

16 indicates chains, the lower ends of which are connected to the rod 6 and the upper ends of which are connected to a transverse rod 17, supported in bearings secured to the under side of the car. There is one. of these chains at each end of the rod 6, so that by rotating the shaft 17 the brake-shoes can be simultaneously raised and brought into their normal positions. The said shaft 17 may be rotated in any known manner, as by means of the crank 18.

2O denotes a curved plate, one of which is secured to each of the brake shoes or to each end ofthe brake-beam in aliuement with the car-wheels. The said plate 20 in crosssection conforms to the shape of the upper side of the rail, one part of the plate resting upon the head of the rail, while another part .rests upon the flange of the rail. The lower ends of the said plates are split, there being no connection between that portion of the plate which rests upon the head of the rail and that portion which rests upon the flange.

This is more clearly shown in Fig. 4, in which 21 indicates that portion of the plate upon the head of the rail, and 22 that upon the flange of the rail. It will be observed that the portion 22 of the plate is thicker than the portion 21 and that the flange of the wheel bears upon the said portion 22, while the portion 21 is out of contact with the wheel. There is a special advantage in this, for the reason that there is usually more or less sand or other gritty substance upon the flanges of the rails, and by having the plates to slide over this portion the car will be more suddenly stopped. I have also found this arrangement desirable,because it avoids spreading of the rails when the emergency attachments are brought into use.

111 operation the rods 6 rest upon the shoulders 5, thereby holding the brake-shoes in their normal positions, so that they may be readily applied by the usual brake mechanism; but whenever it is necessary to bring the car to a quicker stop than can be accomplished in the usual manner the connections are operated to release the said rod 6 and to draw the same forwardly into the curved portions of the slots 4:,within which the rod drops, the brake-shoes traveling downwardly to near the rails. The chains 16 are of such length that they take up the strain which results from this operation, and thereby transfer the weight and shock directly to the car-body. When the brake-shoes are lowered in this manner, the plates 20 fall directly upon the rails and the car-wheels travel over the said plates until the chains 16 become taut, c0nverting them into runners, the weight being supported, as described, by the lower portions 22 of the said plates. The frictional surface is thus greatly increased, while the wheels are protected from wear and injury, which results when they are permitted to slide over the rails in the ordinary way.

As above stated, the chains 16 are just long enough to permit the plates. 20 to be lowered to the rails and to pass under the wheels, and when the said plates are in this latter position the chains are taut, so that the entire weight of the lowered mechanism and the strain occasioned by the sudden stop are sustained by the car-body.

I claim- 1. In a carbrake mechanism, suitable plates supported adjacent to the rails, and means for moving said plates onto the rails to form treads for the flanges of the car-wheels where the rails are provided with flanges, and for the tread-surfaces where there are no flanges on the rails, substantially as specified.

2. The improved car-brake, consisting of the usual brake mechanism, means for lowering a portion of the same out of its normal position, and curved plates carried by the brake mechanism and adapted to rest upon the rails when the brake mechanism is lowered to pass entirely under and thereby form treadsfor the car-wheels, substantially as specified.

IIO

3. The improved car-brake mechanism, consisting of suitable brake-shoes, means for upholding them in normal position, means whereby the brake-shoes may be lowered, and tread-plates carried by said brake-shoes and adapted to rest upon the flanges of the rails to form treads for the flanges of the wheels and thereby entirely support the wheels above the rails, substantially as specified.

4:. Theimproved car-brake mechanism, consisting of suitable brake-shoes, means for supporting the brake-shoes in normal position, curved tread-plates carried by said brakeshoes, means for lowering the brake-shoes so that the said plates Will rest upon the rails and form treads or runners for the wheels, and

suitable connections between the brake-shoes and the car-body so that the weight of the brake-shoes and the resistance of the plates under the Wheels will be supported by the car-body, substantially as specified.

5. In a car brake mechanism, suitable plates supported near the flanges of the rails, and means for moving said plates in position to form treads for the flanges of the wheels, so that the entire weight of the car will be upon the flanges of the Wheels, as and for the purpose set forth. I

-6. In a car brake mechanism suitable plates supported above the flanges and heads of the rails, and means for lowering said plates into position upon the said flanges and heads to form treads for the flanges of the wheels where the rails are provided with flanges and for the tread-surfaces where there are no flanges on the rails.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM W. HOPKINS.

Witnesses:

SETH PLUMMER, ALFRED A. EIoKs. 

